American Go E-Journal

Winston Jen, who previously donated thousands of dollars worth of anime (cartoons) and manga (comics) for AGA youth programs, is now donating 1,000 sets of the Hikaru no Go manga series. At 23 volumes of roughly 200 pages each, this represents 23,000 books. The series follows the adventures of a 12-year-old boy in Japan, who becomes a professional go player. Reading the series sparks tremendous interest in playing go among children (and adults too). The AGF is handling distribution of the sets, and is providing them for the cost of shipping to school and public libraries. The AGF is also using the donation as a springboard for major outreach to libraries, and will be attending the American Library Association’s annual convention this June, in New Orleans. 15,000-20,000 librarians will be attending, and the AGF will staff a booth in the vendor area, where 2009 Teacher of the Year Josh Frye will join AGF board members in teaching librarians about go, and offering them free manga and equipment to launch programs. Jen discovered go through Hikaru, and wants to share his love of the series with American kids. Jen lives in Japan, and adds English subtitles to anime series, which are distributed on the internet. Known as “fansubbing,” thousands of volunteers translate various series that otherwise might not receive an audience outside of Japan. Hikaru was first translated by fansubbers, and might never have made it to the US if fansubbers hadn’t created a market for it first. “Fansubbing has increased my empathy for other cultures and inspired me to study harder than ever,” Jen told the Journal, “I’m currently in the midst of correcting TokyoPop’s Fruits Basket localization as part of my PhD in applied linguistics.” Jen’s fansub group C1anime, is looking for volunteers. Current projects include Perrine, from the 19th century novel by Hector Malot, and a translation of the Anne Frank anime movie. Interested parties should e-mail shannon-nii@hotmail.com. Those who use Internet Relay Chat (IRC) can find C1 at #c1anime on Rizon.net. Various C1anime series can be downloaded online. - Paul Barchilon, E.J. Youth Editor